How RSK is Enabling Corporations to Embrace Green Transition in Saudi Arabia
With its recent expansion into Saudi Arabia, UK-based RSK is committed to expanding opportunities for local businesses to embrace sustainability practices.
Saudi Arabia's push toward a green economy has made environmental responsibility a top priority for businesses. Companies that embrace sustainability now will gain a competitive advantage that will last for decades.
With organizations increasingly prioritizing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors, RSK saw an opportunity to establish a strong, lasting foothold in Saudi Arabia, playing a crucial role in facilitating a shift to green practices.
Expanding from the UK to Saudi, RSK is a solution-led global consultancy with expertise in engineering, environmental science, and technical and laboratory services. Beyond the UK, it has long-standing operations across Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia, and both North and South America, as well as the Middle East.
RSK’s Saudi expansion was supported by AstroLabs, the Gulf’s leading business expansion platform in the Gulf.
Giga-Projects Drive Saudi Arabia’s Sustainability Revolution
Saudi’s environmental ambitions are best seen through its giga-projects. These massive construction sites serve as testing grounds where companies can accelerate their innovation while focusing on sustainable development.
To cater to the rising demand for specialized expertise, RSK has set its sights on growing its on-the-ground presence in the country with the aid of AstroLabs.
"Our principal driver for expanding to the Saudi market was to bring our skills and expertise to the various [Public Investment Fund] megaprojects for Vision 2030," said Fergus Collie, RSK's regional manager.
"RSK also has a commitment to a substantial sustainability roadmap to align with the UN Sustainability Development Goals, and within the region, we see the commitment in Saudi Arabia to the SDGs as our best regional alignment to diversify from a once-heavy reliance on the oil and gas sector."
Within months of expanding in the Kingdom, RSK started landing contracts with the country's most ambitious developments, otherwise known as giga projects.
"RSK is very fortunate to have secured targeted framework agreements with NEOM, Red Sea Global, Amaala, and the Royal Commission for AlUla for our environmental and sustainability services," Collie noted.
Notably, RSK's scope of work spans various areas, including environmental impact assessment and permitting services, in addition to technical services.
These essentially cover “environmental baseline surveys and studies across both terrestrial and marine biodiversity, ambient noise and air quality, and soil and water conditions, as well as detailed modeling of the potential impacts of future development.”
Building a Local Presence to Establish a Market Leadership Position
Through its Middle East business, RSK has been at the forefront of helping organizations embrace carbon-reduction strategies for 17 years.
Strengthening its footprint in Saudi is an integral part of its regional growth. To accelerate its impact and reach in the Kingdom, RSK is focused on doubling down on direct engagements with local stakeholders.
This solid foundation gave RSK a competitive edge as it continues to build local capabilities in Saudi Arabia.
A key enabler of RSK’s continued footprint expansion is AstroLabs, whose decade-long expertise in company formation made it a first-choice partner for the UK-founded consultancy..
AstroLabs’ local team and its vast network helped RSK successfully navigate the foreign business setup process in Saudi Arabia and, more importantly, forge connections with key decision-makers and regulatory officials.
As it looks to broaden its service and geographical footprint, RSK is positioning itself as a valuable catalyst in driving multiple sectors towards cleaner energy, thereby accelerating the Kingdom’s path towards Net-Zero emissions by 2060.
"From our national address in Riyadh and our newly established office and operations center in Tabuk, we plan for those services to evolve over the coming years into a broader-based technical services business, including physical geotechnical and geoenvironmental investigations, supporting laboratory services, and land and marine surveying," Collie explained.
